2 Tuners - won't record from both at the same time

[Jeraden]

I have 2 tuners set up. In the Video Source setup, they show up separately. Each has their own EPG Lineup. One for Dish Network, the other for local OTA.

If I record something from one tuner, it won't let me go to a channel controlled by the other one. It will give me the option of cancelling the other recording, or doing nothing. Its like it knows there are 2 tuners, but is treating it like they are the same tuner.

Both work though, I can see their respective programming when I tune to the channels, so both tuners are working independently. Its just that sage doesn't let me work them simultaneously.

Any ideas?

[Fuzzy]

What tuner cards are these? Are you simply using multiple inputs on a single capture card? This would still only be able to record one at a time, as that's all the capture card can get. This would behave as you are stating, allowing use of either input, but not both at the same time.

[gplasky]

As the above poster stated sounds like you're using 2 inputs-1 tuner card. That's not the same as 2 tuners. You'll have to get another tuner.


Gerry

[Jeraden]

Its a vistaview saber da-1n1-i, which has 2 hardware tuners/encoders, 1 for ATSC and 1 for NTSC. So I guess sage isn't recognizing this? Anyway to tell it that it does? Its functionally similar to the hauuppage 1600 card, which does work fine recording from each tuner simultaneously.

[GKusnick]

Do both tuners show up in Device Manager? When you installed tuner drivers, did it install one instance of the driver or two? Did you restart Sage after installing drivers? When you added the second source in Sage, are you sure you selected the second tuner, and not a second input to the first tuner?

[Jeraden]

It only shows up once in the device manager, though I believe thats the correct way its supposed to show up. If I look at the driver details for the card, everything looks correct, nothing is doubled, and the card is functioning properly.
Everything has been restarted, in fact, its been a couple weeks and I just now noticed the issue.

I'm sure its using the proper sources... it shows up like this in the source setup screen:
1. ViXS PureTV Capture TV Tuner Channel 3 : DISH Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh (this is going into the analog tuner via coax cable)

2. ViXS PureTV Capture Digital TV Tuner : Pittsburgh - Digital Broadcast
(this is from an external UHF antenna plugged into the OTA coax connection)

Like I mentioned, they work fine independently. I get HD OTA if I tune to one of those channels in the program guide. I get Dish Network via the analog tuner if I tune to one of those. So they are working properly. Just it won't let me use them at the same time.

[Fuzzy]

Sage is showing them as the same tuner encoder, otherwise they would be shown as 'ViXS PureTV Capture' and 'ViXS PureTV Capture #2'. There should be 2 encoders on the Setup Video Sources -> Add Source screen. If you only have one, the the card is either not fully installed, or will not work as a dual encoder for sage.

[GKusnick]

I'm not familiar with the VistaView cards, but with Hauppauge dual-tuner cards, you install the drivers twice and it shows up twice in Device Manager. If you're only seeing one device in Device Manager, then I'm not sure how Sage is supposed to know that there's a second tuner device available.

[Jeraden]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Sage is showing them as the same tuner encoder, otherwise they would be shown as 'ViXS PureTV Capture' and 'ViXS PureTV Capture #2'. There should be 2 encoders on the Setup Video Sources -> Add Source screen. If you only have one, the the card is either not fully installed, or will not work as a dual encoder for sage.

You know what, I think you are right and I'm just an idiot. There is a ViXS PureTV Analog Capture device. And I could have sworn I picked that - I think I did at one point and was trying to get something else to work and removed it and re-added it and selected the wrong one. Though strangely it still works. I was looking through the debug log and there are lots of references to the Analog Capture device, so I was just assuming I had the right one in there.
I'm trying to re-add it now and its just hanging at the waiting for video preview though, so who knows. I'll mess with it later. Thanks for your help!

[Fuzzy]

Hope it works out. I would also recommend that for your sat box, try NOT to use the RF Ch. 3 method. SVideo and Audio cables will give you MUCH better quality.

[Jeraden]

Yeah, well, thats a separate issue for this card - I can't get sage to recognize the audio input - I just get "error setting up software audio compression", the only way I could get it to work was to bring in audio through the RF/channel3 method.

This card has given me many headaches! I should have just went for the HVR1600!